Does Generation Y Discriminate Against Baby Boomers? Or Is It the Other Way Around?

I was at a nonprofit event yesterday where I spoke to Amy, one of my dear blog readers, who is an older (Baby Boomer?) nonprofit leader. She said that she loves my work and advocacy for next generation leadership, but she feels I promote ageism on my blog with my focus on the younger generation.

Do I?

I posed this question to my Twitter fam last night. These are some of the responses I received.

The gist of most of the responses I received was that it’s OK to focus on a particular age bracket on my blog, which may be a little ageist to some people. But ageism is age discrimination. And I don’t think I discriminate against Baby Boomer leaders on my blog simply because I try to empower younger people to lead. But I do think there was an underlying issue in Amy’s feedback to me: both generations still have not figured out how to talk about what we need from each other to be the best leaders we can be.

Amy was railing against the idea that all Baby Boomer nonprofit leaders don’t want/embrace change and are not supportive of Gen Y leadership. I don’t aim to make broad generalities when I speak of current nonprofit leaders. But I do believe we find truth in sharing our real experiences. I have to admit that the many young leaders who have shared their stories here over the past two 1/2 years point out situations where older leaders have not been supportive of them and many times have “blocked” them from leading. I’m not saying all Baby Boomers do that, but it is a common enough experience for many Gen Y leaders in the nonprofit sector that we can say it should be addressed.

It may be that we discriminate against each other. Many Baby Boomer leaders look at Gen Y like we’re their kids, while many a Gen Y person may scoff at the fact that their boss doesn’t know how to turn on the copy machine. Many other issues compound the complexity of intergenerational relationships and make it difficult to share leadership, including:

The rise of the use of technology for nonprofit efficiency: Gen Y is overwhelmingly more comfortable and proficient as a generation, but that does not mean Baby Boomers aren’t or can’t be. What bothers many young leaders is that their youth is only valued when technology comes up and their CEO wants to know how to use Twitter. For everything else, they are relegated to supportive roles.

Transfer of nonprofit knowledge: Many Gen Y workers feel that they could lead better if only they had an older mentor who would show them the ropes and teach them what they learned along the way. The problem is that few young people are finding those opportunities. May be the fault of the older leader for not reaching out or the fault of the younger leader for not asking for help directly.

Increased competition for nonprofit jobs: Older leaders are now competing with recent grads who are their kids’ age for good nonprofit jobs. Due to the economy, many older workers are not leaving the workforce as expected at a certain age. So now Gen Y is now being put in the position of supervising employees who are their elders. This is causing resentment on both sides. But the recession is hurting young nonprofit leaders, too.

Distribution of power: Even though Gen Y has more education than previous generations as well as ease of using technology, it does not equal to leadership positions. We are still not looked at for top management jobs because we’re “too young” and “inexperienced.” So while Gen Y can “discriminate” against Baby Boomers all we want, it does not translate into younger people taking over nonprofit organizations, no matter how you slice it.

While I do focus on next generation leaders on my blog, I am not at all saying that older leaders should not be equally valued. The problem for me is that for far too long, leadership has been defined in terms of age (over 40), title (CEO) & years of experience (a ton). My blog defies that by saying “Yes, young people can lead, here’s how we can do it and here’s how we can keep doing it better.” What some of my Twitter followers pointed out is that Baby Boomers have been the leadership focus for a long time and it’s now Gen Y’s turn to receive support.

And if supporting my generation is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.

P.S. Don’t miss tomorrow’s special 90-minute live discussion, “A Day in the Life of a Young Executive Director” featuring four young nonprofit executive directors who will speak candidly about their leadership experiences. I invite nonprofit leaders of ALL AGES to tune in. It may be the most ageist conversation you’ve ever heard. Or not.

Photo credit: JC Weatherby

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Tags: Baby Boomers, Generation Y

NK

Forgot to say... Bring on Gen Y leadership! I've been impressed so far by their ability to truly work effectively in teams. It's not as much about ego and recognition with them as it is about engaging in meaningful work and producing great products. Look forward to seeing more of them take the reigns.
NK

I'm Gen X. I've worked for three companies and I have to say most of the time Boomer management isn't very good at listening to the generations beneath them. I've worked for two companies that have tried and struggled to get into the 2.0 market on the web and in both places the Boomer management did not listen to their younger workers or even really investigate the trends in technology being used outside of their walls. Nor did they consider 'new strategies' or approaches to management that better fit their younger employees. They still operate as if it's the 70's and things are kept on a main frame. Word documents and shared drives... not Google docs and collaborative software.

It's no surprise that until the downturn in the economy many Generation X employees broke from the corporate herd being led by egotistic and narcissistic Baby Boomers to start their own ventures or even start the competition for their former employees. I have to say after 10 years of having creative efforts thwarted, squelched or even redirected. I've started collecting ideas and seeds for efforts that I'd like to pursue outside of my job if things don't change within the next several months. I've even started budgeting and saving to sustain myself while I'm growing my business. Times are hard but I have a feeling I'm not alone. It might be better to take a risk.
Tracy Moavero

@Michon Lartigue -- AMEN!

@rosetta -- some key words of your own : "When you speak to older nonprofit leaders, especially ones that founded their organizations, they will tell you that they had no experience when they became 'leaders.' So why does Gen Y have to be held to a higher standard? Baby Boomers had less education and less experience that Gen Y when they ROCKED the women’s movement & the civil rights movement. They had no idea what they were doing, yet we revere them as leaders because of their passion and dedication. Education and experience are not prequisites for leadership, in my opinion. Why do you think they are?"

Key words: ". . . especially ones that founded their organizations" The women's movement grew out of the anti-war movement when women got fed up with all the sexism. They didn't like what was going on, so they started something new. They did it with little to no money, and the scorn of much of the nation, including plenty of men on the Left. They held consciousness raising groups in living rooms. They used whatever crappy old office equipment they could get together. They made headlines by doing banner drops and photo ops at Miss America. They experimented with new leadership styles. They tried many things, often failing. But they pressed on and now we younger women (I include my 42 year old self here) can't imagine life without they changes they brought.

Before that, when students didn't like what SCLC was doing, they challenged them via SNCC, resulting in a changed civil rights movement and sometimes a really difficult relationship between the two groups. And everyone in that movement worked incredibly hard, mostly doing grunt work we'll never hear about, and many of them putting their lives on the line each day. For every high profile Rosa Parks moment or Dr. King speech, thousands of people got signs printed, ran flier copies on old ink belt copiers, knocked on doors, put up chairs for meetings, wrote minutes, called friends, sat through meetings and trainings, and walked for miles instead of taking buses. Those people were the movement.

Activist leadership and established organizational leadership are not the same thing. No one asks for you to have experience or a certain degree when you're an organizer. You just go out and do it. It's some of the most important work for social change -- always has been. You do, however, need to have experience and skills to run an organization with a $5 million budget. If anything, we already have too many passionate activists mismanaging nonprofits because they are so ill-equipped to handle the business side of things.

From what I read here, it's not that Gen Y is being asked to do more, it's that some Gen Yers want to do less. Why should someone who's 25 waltz into a position of responsibility without having learned the nuts and bolts of the organization? Why should a young person get to make decisions about things they've either not experienced or not had much experience with? Being passionate is great, but passion and skill are two entirely different things.

I do think, to be clear, that there are terrific young leaders out there, and I'm happy to work with them. I think a blog or a group for young nonprofit leaders or activists is great. Just like I'm working on creating better networking for mid-career women like myself, because we have our own needs. But I've had some negative experiences with entitled young adults. That drives me batty.

This discussion inspired me to write a longer post on my blog. Hope folks take a look and weigh in. Thanks
Amanda

@Rosetta - I think that leadership reminds me a bit of parenting. The supposed goal of parenting is to raise kids to be better and do more than the parents did. Rather than living the same path and making the same mistakes, parents seem to have this idea that they can "keep us safe" with certain restrictions and expectations. What they fail to see, imho, is that in their quest to raise us to be "better", they've already given us the confidence and tools to move forward. So, instead of pushing us out of the nest, they keep us trapped, all in the name of "experience".

I don't see this so much as an issue of Boomers needing to "get out of the way", though. I think it's about what you've said all along: they really don't understand how talented we are. Sure, we'll need their guidance; no kid can raise him/herself. Still, we can't grow or be ready to take the lead if they're not willing to let us try. It seems like they discount the experience we do have because it doesn't look the way they'd like it to look. How can we show them if we never even get a seat at the grown-ups' table?
rosettathurman

@Bill - Well said. I think Gen Y is still thinking that once Baby Boomers "get out of the way," we will be able to lead. Nice to have this reminder.
rosettathurman

@Katy - Thanks for commenting here. I'd like to understand the thinking behind your comment "Once they have the required experience, qualified Gen Ys will naturally move into leadership roles." When you speak to older nonprofit leaders, especially ones that founded their organizations, they will tell you that they had no experience when they became "leaders." So why does Gen Y have to be held to a higher standard? Baby Boomers had less education and less experience that Gen Y when they ROCKED the women's movement & the civil rights movement. They had no idea what they were doing, yet we revere them as leaders because of their passion and dedication. Education and experience are not prequisites for leadership, in my opinion. Why do you think they are?
rosettathurman

@David - Thanks for commenting here. Your book sounds really interesting! Would be helpful to know what your fellow Baby Boomers' reaction has been.

@Michon - I agree that generational challenges are nothing new. They are just more visible to the world because of ideas shared freely and widely on the Internetz.
Bill Huddleston

Two comments:

One, it's important to look at the demographic data and realize how unique a situation we are in, particularly in the industrialized countries. People are living longer -- a lot longer - and according to Gail Sheehy in her book, New Passages - Mapping Your Life Across Time , "For the first time in the history of the world most people in advanced societies can expect to live into the late afternoon of life. Two thirds of total gains in life expectency accomplished since the human species emerged have been made in the 20th century."

So is this a problem or an opportunity? Same answer as "Is the glass half full or half empty?" question.

My second comment is one that I published in an open letter to the Independent Sector and I did get a lot of offline feedback, agreeing with it:

6. Trends in the non-profit sector - Baby Boomers aren’t going to go away.

The baby boom generation cohort has redefined our society at every age, from elementary school to Woodstock to today. They may change jobs, change careers, go to some mixture of independent consulting and “regular job” but they are not going to retire at 65 to go sit on a rocking chair and do nothing. Get used to having a very diverse workforce, including age diversity.

Whether for career changers or emerging leaders, workplace giving can provide ideal “practice fields” for developing one’s leadership skills, which is just one of its benefits beyond just raising money.

P.S. Full disclosure, I am a baby boomer, I also know Rosetta and don't have a problem with anything she says. I believe in pragmatic leadership development for people at any and all ages (starting with children & youth) and if anyone would like my article about non-profit leadership development, send me an email at o BillHuddleston@verizon.net.

Regards,
Bill Huddleston
Katy

Of course Gen Ys are relegated to supportive roles and not awarded leadership positions based on education and enthusiasm alone. Once they have the required experience, qualified Gen Ys will naturally move into leadership roles. This goes for anyone of any generation.
rosettathurman

@TP - You make some great points. Thanks for this: "open and respectful communication, listening and understanding are the key elements to help bridge the divide and get us all working together to share and capitalize on our individual strengths while still respecting our unique experiences and history." We need to have more and more respectful conversations across generations! Then I think many of the stereotypes would disappear.
Michon Lartigue

This is a great conversation, and I think one of the most important points you all make is around the need for acknowledgement, communication and for sharing stories.

I don't know about others who are older, but I remember how it felt to be 21 - 25, and frustrated by adult behavior, particularly in my professional life. I also remember when a fantastic mentor who was 10 years older, told me that my late 20's would hold some specific pitfalls and challenges. And as I experienced those, I remember thinking, well there is something to experience and "wisdom" of age. I stopped resisting so much, the idea that older adults just didn't understand. The fact is that there are things that I understand now at 36 that 20 somethings don't get. And things that 40/50/60 somethings understand that I don't get. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

Generational viewpoint challenges are nothing new. I just think it is more critical now, given the workforce, technology, and the overall state of things, that more of us sort of set our egos to the side and really communicate well about the common goal of working together to make the lives of people every age better.

And from what I can see - that's part of the point of this blog. It is a communication tool that spotlights your generation so that we can all see where you are coming from, what you are thinking, experiencing, and reveals ways on how we can connect in a very real way.
David Mills

This is an interesting and important topic. I think the age discrimination works both ways. Younger people look at older people as past their prime. Older people look at the younger employees as too inexperienced to make quality decisions. There are ways to narrow this gap. More to say on 10000boomer.com
TP

Rosetta (and other commenters too!) - what a great discussion - and some really key points. As a Gen-Xer, I suppose I fall somewhere in the middle of the discussion. Hopefully this helps me see both perspectives (and I'm not just fuzzy on both!). In either case, I think the most critical factor (which you and others have identified) is communication. It's also important to remember that communication includes not just sharing of experiences, challenges, knowledge--tech or not--and stories. Perhaps more importantly, communication includes listening and understanding--something that is just as important for Gen X and Y as it is for Boomers--or anyone else.

As an important footnote, I think we could easily substitute nearly any other communities in place of Gen Y and Boomers and often the issues and solutions will still be largely accurate. Whether we're talking race, immigration, or something else, some specifics of the discussion may be different, but open and respectful communication, listening and understanding are the key elements to help bridge the divide and get us all working together to share and capitalize on our individual strengths while still respecting our unique experiences and history.
rosettathurman

@Caroline - Thanks for sharing that insight about the "financial fragility" of older leaders. I don't think next generation leaders understand the sacrifices older leaders made, and maybe never will fully until we start sharing more stories across generations.

@Michon - Oh, don't get me started on the name game. I tried to start a leadership development program here in DC for under 40 folks and funders wouldn't go for it if it was age-restrictive. As if 25 year olds would need the same leadership development as a 45 year old? I think they were offended and I couldn't understand why.
rosettathurman

@Shani - I agree that younger people need to speak up more to get our voices heard and not wait for someone to ask us. That is not always going to happen. I like your line of thought "when the people in the power position are resentful of the disempowered group speaking out, I see that as a form of backlash," however I'm not sure it's backlash, but maybe a form of envy? That we now have the tools and the sense of entitlement to actually ask for what we need. I think it's more hateration than backlash.
Caroline

and, oh, yeah, on the main point of the blog - I totally agree with Shani, who put it beautifully. of course you and everyone else has a right to keep doing our thing. It is ludicrous to suggest otherwise, and I would be horrified to find out if Amy's comment is something you experience regularly. If we're all interested in finding ways through this quagmire and getting to a new relationship between generations, then I think that there are some nuanced or hidden issues that will help us do that, like acknowledging and hopefully helping to address the financial fragility of the older movement leaders.
Michon Lartigue

I am 36 years old and I have this conversation quite a bit because I started an organization called Voices Under 40. I was initially surprised at some of the backlash I received from the name, particularly by folks over 40 who were like "What's wrong with over 40?"

I say this all the time and I think we all (particularly baby boomers) need to remember that many of the people who have made incredible contributions to our society in art, literature, political movements, etc...did so while under the age of 40. Some while under the age of 30. It is critical to shatter this intergenerational disconnect and the myth that young people are not capable of leadership and greatness right now, just because they are young.

I also said recently in a speech that it does not do us any good as a society to have a Baby Boomer generation that thinks young people don’t get it, or Millennials who think that 30-Something’s don’t get it; or to even have younger generations who couldn’t tell you what a baby boomer is or have no idea the inherent sacrifices that leaders in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s have made on our behalf.

The truth is we all have a valuable place and people of every age seriously need to remember that, particularly in the nonprofit sector.

I think the work you do to highlight and support your generation is outstanding and critical. And we would all be wise, regardless of our age, to celebrate and support the voices of young people.
Caroline

As a devoted reader of your blog, and a Gen Xer who has spent some time learning about social justice leadership in this country, I think part of what is hard is that a lot of Boomer leaders - especially movement leaders - cannot afford to retire, recession or not. The same problems that Gen X and Gen Y face in terms of lack of benefits in the nonprofit workforce was often doubly true for them, and now compounded by a lifetime of work in the sector, plus the health problems that typically come with age. They have no or insufficient retirement, pension, savings, health care. A few years ago about 60 heads of women's organizations came together to look at the women's movement(s) writ large, and this intergenerational tension was discussed (in somewhat loud terms). It was a little bit of an "aha" moment for younger women like me in the room when we realized how these respected leaders have their backs against the wall, financially, and can't afford to "move out of the way" or at least move out of the stresses of leadership. And younger leaders - who, because of the older leaders' work were thankfully brought up with some healthy and appropriate entitlement to work/life balance - look at this financial reality for the older leaders, and look at the extreme stresses and sacrifices required for the E.D. position as it is usually configured, and go, "thanks, but no thanks."
Shani

I think the power dynamic cannot be taken out of the equation. In a systemic way, young leaders do not have the power - older leaders do. Just as when discussing racism, white people are institutionally and unconsciously in the power position.

So when the people in the power position are resentful of the disempowered group speaking out, I see that as a form of backlash - not an indication that the disempowered group is somehow being oppressive (in this case ageist or racist) in its treatment of the other group. In my analysis, that's not possible when you don't have the power.

Young leaders do need to keep speaking up, loud and clear, about what we think and what we need. We are a major cohort in the workforce, and yet the field and institutions in which we work are in large part dominated by the culture and perspectives of older leaders.

We ALL have important thoughts and valid ways of approaching our work and our lives. We younger folks may need to speak up more and differently to get our voices heard, and I say we should keep it up.